A critical and constructive examination of Canada's assistance to developing countries.

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) allocates vast sums of money each year, providing vital assistance to countless individuals across the developing world. Yet many observers and insiders have sharply criticized CIDA for its lack of concrete results.

Presenting a range of work by scholars and practitioners, this collection offers the most comprehensive examination of CIDA's efforts in over a decade. Contributors explore recent trends in Canadian foreign aid, including topics such as its place in Canadian politics, gender and security concerns, advocacy and public engagement, the complexity of CIDA policies, and CIDA's relationship with non-governmental organizations. The perspectives assembled in Struggling for Effectiveness bring clarity to the issue of foreign aid while judiciously gauging Canada's record and offering concrete suggestions for strengthening CIDA's efforts to help people living in poverty.

Extensively researched and comprehensive in scope, Struggling for Effectiveness will be indispensable to anyone interested in Canadian assistance abroad and Canada's place in a rapidly changing world.

“Struggling for Effectiveness is a major and valuable contribution to knowledge about CIDA and Canada’s official development assistance policies. Without exception, the authors have produced chapters of a consistently high quality.” Hevina Dashwood, Brock University

Stephen Brown is associate professor of political studies at the University of Ottawa.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments viiAbbreviations ix

Introduction: Canadian Aid Enters the Twenty-First Century 3Stephen Brown

1 Canada among Donors: How Does Canadian Aid Compare? 24Hunter McGill

2 Improving Canada’s Performance as a Bilateral Donor: Assessingthe Past and Building for the Future 53Nilima Gulrajani

3 Aid Effectiveness and the Framing of New Canadian AidInitiatives 79Stephen Brown